China is becoming a vast super power, both militarily and more importantly, economic. This is a huge detriment to the west, especially US/Canada. When all ecomomic wells dry up over here where do you think the rest of the world will be looking? Not North America, too risky and even Europe is aware of this. They're scared.
What's more, Iran is sending a lot of oil China's way. The Christian right moralists and the corporate fat cats have killed the US economy by increasing foreign investment and decreasing jobs here. As well, the dollar will take a nose dive within 16 months, when that happens gold is going to skyrocket, hence why you see all those ads everywhere offering to buy up your gold, and leaving you holding the bag and a dollar soon to be worth about 40 cents. Legalization and reinstituting a hemp crop isn't on the books nor do they see it as an agenda to rise from the ashes of a failing base.
The Blue Meanies are in everyone's pocket these days, the great cons of our time (global warming, carbon credits, peak oil) is quickly becoming a burden to bare for us all, kicking us when we're down even further is going to shut off any sort of bail-out by other countries, most have planned to jump ship so to speak. So, to put it bluntly, stop relying on government hand-outs or looking for answers from the civil servants who are neck deep in the sand, saying all is going to be good. Ride it out by yes, planting a veg garden, hold onto that gold broach grandma left you and don't believe in what they say in the media. Debt is on the rise.